<p>Yes, I have to agree with sakky and UCLAri on this issue. Although going to a great Ivy league school doesn't matter as much for medical school as it does for b-school/law school/graduate school, it can help TREMENDOUSLY. The reason why, as sakky has mentioned time and time again, is the presence of grade inflation. Medical schools, however unfair and foolish their process is, desire the very best grades. Going to Harvard or Stanford or Yale, all schools with grade inflation, will challenge you but not drive you mad like UC-Berkeley or my own state school, University of Michigan. I've heard stories of friends refusing notes or help to other friends because they want to get into a certain graduate school so badly from Michigan. The competition is incredibly and unnecessarily intense. Now I realize this is a deviation from the original argument that sakky brought up about UC-Berkeley and Harvard, but I think it is worth mentioning.</p>
<p>Going to a top school with grade inflation will make your life MUCH easier and provide smoother sailing for your future career. Yes, you're right, d-a-d, you are the only one who can determine your own future. But most students on average who get into Harvard have done so well for themselves and are at such a top level, they would do quite well at whatever they do. There's a reason Harvard chose them for their class and it certainly isn't to land a job a student is going to hate. So, I would say it is a good mix of where you go and WHAT YOU DO with your degree. It isn't mutually exclusive but there are exceptions where people are successful even without going to top schools. Yes you can succeed, but how hard are you willing to work? Do you really understand the competition you are up against at state schools like Berkeley or Michigan? I think it's a nice but false idea when you said that "people who work hard are going to be successful no matter where they go". How hard can you work when your professors are apathetic and do not care about you? How far will your hard work take you when you work intensely and receive a C+ for the semester? What about graduate students who barely know more than you do and can't speak English properly? </p>
<p>Yes, if some of the cards weren't stacked against you in state schools, hard work can take you VERY far. But the fact of the matter is that at schools like Berkeley or Michigan, students cannot just work hard they must work AMAZINGLY hard and still expect less than stellar grades. Compare that to Harvard where you would be challenged but have grade inflation and great professors who care and a less cutthroat student body. Am I speaking of an ideal Harvard? Yes, but I am sure the real Harvard is pretty damn close to that. There is a reason why Harvard pre-meds enjoy a very high acceptance rate to medical school, and usually to the very best schools. </p>
<p>Let's face it: school name might not matter, but grade inflation and a more accommodating yet still challenging environment are MUCH more preferable to a difficult, demanding, bureacratic, frequently apathetic school. Tell me anyone who would choose the latter over the former, really.</p>